Alzheimer’s Research Fund Established at UNMC in Honor of Vada Oldfield

Col. Barney Oldfield of Los Angeles has made a $20,000 gift to the University

of Nebraska Foundation to establish the Vada Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer’s

Research Fund at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The fund was

created by Oldfield to commemorate his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer’s

disease for 11 years before her death on Feb. 25. Oldfield has pledged

to provide $20,000 annually to support the fund.

“Vada was the most important human being in my life,” said Oldfield,

a NU Foundation trustee. “”I am enlisting in a war to fight the affliction

that robbed her of her golden years. By setting up this endowment fund

at the NU Foundation, I feel that I am taking someone who was an inspiration

to so many and helping her spirit live forever.”

Jane Potter, M.D., section chief of geriatrics and gerentology in the

UNMC College of Medicine, said the gift provides key support for this important

area of study.  “Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause for reducing

quality of life in older individuals. It is the single most important cause

of disability in people over 65 years of age — more than heart disease,

cancer or stroke,” Dr. Potter said. “It is the main reason people must

be placed in institutional care rather than continuing to live at home

with their loved ones. This disease is a huge public health problem that

needs to be addressed.”

The fund will support Alzheimer’s research efforts in the Center for

Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CNND) at UNMC. The CNND was

established in 1997 to bring basic scientists and clinicians together to

explore therapeutic options for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s

disease.

“Presently, there are more than 50,000 Nebraskans with Alzheimer’s disease,”

Dr. Potter said.  “With the baby boomers aging in the next 30 years,

the number of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to grow to 76,000, which

is enough to fill Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Col. Oldfield is clearly

putting his support behind UNMC’s research efforts to address what is fast

becoming the most prominent health problem in the state.”

This is the latest gift in the Oldfields’ ongoing support of the University

of Nebraska. To date, they have given more than $800,000 to various scholarship

funds and programs. The couple met as students at the University of Nebraska.

After they both graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1933,

they went on to enjoy successful military careers.

Vada was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps during World War

II and served in Africa, Sicily, and Italy as a teletype operator in the

U.S. Air Force’s communications section.  She served a total of 24

months overseas. Her name is listed on a monument dedicated to women in

military service at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington,

D.C.

After a successful career in the U.S. Air Force as a communications

officer, Barney Oldfield entered private industry as a public relations

executive for Litton Industries, Inc. in Woodland Hills, Calif. Among his

many honors, Oldfield received the Distinguished Service Award from the

U.S. Radio & Television News Directors Association. Both the Oldfields

are featured in the Celebrities in Uniform Section of the U.S. Air Force

Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

A celebration honoring Vada was held April 21 at UNL. Memorial gifts

may be made to the Vada Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer’s Research Fund at the

NU Foundation, P.O. Box 82555, Lincoln, Neb.  68501.

UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.

Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has

established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research

and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in

research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.

In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more

health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a non-profit corporation supplementing

support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University

of Nebraska’s four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations,

and other foundations.